Dodge Circuit EV (Lotus Europa conversion)

[doug]

I don't like the name Circuit. Sounds like something from those Luxury Electric guys, experts in electrical science.

 

[domenick]

Dodge did a pretty decent re-styling job, no?

 

[TEG]

Hmm, they left the headlights "stock" unlike the artists renderings suggested.

Actual:

Car & Driver:

Jalopnik/KorsDesign:

Old R&T "Model S" artists rendering just for grins:

 

[doug]

Dodge Circuit EV - AutoblogGreen
2010 Dodge Circuit EV - 2009 Detroit Auto Show Coverage, Fuel Efficient News, New Car Reviews, Concept Cars - Automobile Magazine

No, it doesn't look too bad. Seems they changed less than the photoshop artists anticipated:





(click for a larger image)

The only changed body panels appear to be the front chin and the lower rear. The rest are still shared with the Europa. So do we know if this styling is production intent? I don't like the adapted front grill. The dodge crosshatch looks like it sticks out too much because they couldn't change what was behind it. If Chrysler sells this thing as is, the "Europa" body kit will be a popular after-market item. The rear diffuser looks like it's from the Roadster.
I'm curious if they've changed anything from the Lotus interior. The press release seems to talk it up.

At any rate, I'm looking forward to seeing more of this.

 

[doug]

I have to say I agree with what Jalopnik has to say:

Dodge Circuit EV: Not Quite Too Good To Be True - Jalopnik

You know those student design concepts that are all naïve ideas and very little reality? It looks like Chrysler’s ENVI program has gone back to school for their electric Dodge Circuit EV concept.

On Tuesday, we told you Dodge was prepping a more Dodge-like EV for the Detroit Auto Show. That original Dodge EV was just a Lotus Europa with the Lotus badges pried off and Dodge's rams glued in their place. There were apparently some batteries too. So on Tuesday we speculated that "more Dodge-like" meant they’d pried off the Lotus grille and swapped it with a crosshair item. We present the Dodge Circuit EV.

But that’s not the whole story, the Circuit isn’t just a restyled Europa, it’s a restyled Europa with an electric motor that Chrysler will never produce. Why? The combination of Lotus Europa and prototype electric drivetrain would prove far too expensive both to develop and to sell to customers. The Tesla Roadster, which is only now reaching customers after two and a half years of delays, is based on the cheaper Lotus Elise and still retails for a shocking $109,000.


So why build it? To convince investors, dealers, tax payers and the government (there’s a shocking overlap among those groups) Chrysler has some sort of future. Whether or not it does will depend on much more realistic products than the Circuit.

 

[malcolm]

Yes, if they had proposed this as a serious option back in 2006.....

Chrysler's various EREV proposals seem to be more realistic/achievable.

 

[vfx]

You have to hand it to them for fast-tracking.

And that lower rear might be the air flow new standard on cars that have flat bottom pans.

 

[graham]

The combination of Lotus Europa and prototype electric drivetrain would prove far too expensive both to develop and to sell to customers. The Tesla Roadster, which is only now reaching customers after two and a half years of delays, is based on the cheaper Lotus Elise and still retails for a shocking $109,000.

Yes, but the Circuit should have less modifications to it from the Europa than the Roadster had from the Elise. I agree it will still probably be too expensive, and it will probably never see the light of day - but they should be able to release something cheaper than the Roadster should they so choose.

 

[doug]

Yeah, I agree that Chrysler should be able to do it cheaper than the Roadster. I think Jalopnik's point is that it won't save the company.

 

[TEG]

Yes, but the Circuit should have less modifications to it from the Europa than the Roadster had from the Elise. I agree it will still probably be too expensive, and it will probably never see the light of day - but they should be able to release something cheaper than the Roadster should they so choose.

I hope they somehow manage to pull it off. Lets hope that some of that bailout money gives this a chance at getting to market.

 

[doug]

Dodge Tesla. I Mean, Tesla Circuit. I Mean, Dodge Circuit Roadster. Oh, Forget It. | The Truth About Cars


Dodge Circuit EV: Dodge Circuit EV First Live Photos - Jalopnik

Detroit Auto Show: Dodge Circuit EV Officially Revealed In Detroit - Jalopnik

How many times can you reveal a new car? Three, if the Dodge Circuit EV is anything to go by.

I'm still waiting for interior and "under the hood" shots.

 

[vfx]

The car on the platform is probably ready for a silk blanket for the grand show reveal.

4's a charm

 

[doug]

Detroit Auto Show - Dodge Circuit EV - All Circuits Are Busy. Try Back in 2010. - NYTimes.com

IS IT REAL? Who knows? Chrysler calls this all-electric performance sports car a prototype — but didn’t say whether it will be first Chrysler electric vehicle to be produced out of its ENVI portfolio of “production-intent” vehicles.

WHAT THEY SAID The Dodge Circuit EV displays bold exterior and interior styling with outstanding performance, zero gasoline consumption and zero tailpipe emissions. It has all new front and rear-end designs from the version that was shown in the fall.

WHAT THEY DIDN’T SAY Chrysler is way behind the curve when it comes to alternative powertrains. And its flirtation with a “two-mode” hybrid, using a system developed with General Motors, Daimler and BMW in the 2009 Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango was short-lived — about two months in production.

...

 

[doug]

Chrysler Releases “New” Dodge Circuit Electric Car - Still No Tesla : Gas 2.0

The ... Dodge Circuit, which Chrysler promised would be a real step forward from the concept Dodge EV they showed last summer (a UK-only Lotus Europa powered by a 200 kW electric motor that Dodge painted yellow and decorated with cheap vinyl stickers). I won’t keep you in suspense: it ain’t.
...

The technical/engineering changes made to Chrysler’s sporty EV since last summer (previously shown here) can be summed up in four words: they moved the plug.

That’s right: six months and billions of tax-payer dollars later, Chrysler’s ENVI division seriously expects the public at large to accept the same A123 battery pack and 200 kW electric-motored Lotus with snazzy-paint as an eco-holy flagship for the Dodge brand. Granted, this car does have a new “crosshair” grille in the front bumper to make it look more like a Dodge product … but the whole point of having a grille opening in the front of a conventional car is to direct cooling air to the car’s radiator.

The Dodge Circuit EV doesn’t have a radiator.

More than anything else, the bizarre inclusion of a crosshair grille sheds light on what this car really means to Chrysler management: it is a marketing exercise (at best) and a con (at worst)...

Actually it might have a radiator (like the Roadster) but I have yet to see what's under the front hood.

 

[TEG]

http://gas2.org/2009/01/12/chrysler-releases-new-dodge-circuit-electric-car-shocks-everyone/Actually it might have a radiator (like the Roadster) but I have yet to see what's under the front hood.

If not for eMotor or battery cooling, you probably at least want an air conditioning condenser up there.

 

[doug]

Not particularly exciting (mostly zoom-in shots of the Dodge badges (talk about ENVy)), but at the end there are finally some interior shots. They don't show it clearly, but it looks like they shoehorned a double DIN touchscreen into the dash.

 

[TEG]

What? No tire smoking burnouts?

I like that color scheme (both interior and exterior) a lot more than the 1st prototype. (Or should we call it the old 'Mule'?)

The new wheels are sortof attractive as well.

 

[vfx]

It's just a bunch of B-Roll footage. Dull as heck. Skip to 3:48 for interior footage.

 

[doug]

Dodge Circuit EV, New Dodge Electric Vehicle - AOL Autos

 

[doug]

Did a quick search, still no proper high res photos of the interior. I was hoping Autoblog or Jalopnik would come through on that. As I mentioned before, it looks like they managed to modify the dash to get a 1.5 or 2 DIN touchscreen in there. Also looks like they got a steering wheel without the Lotus badge.